His running and bouncing goal in the second quarter against Port Adelaide was a telling moment in arguably Richmond’s most impressive win this season.

Things have not always been this straight forward in Butler’s short three-year career. His first year was wrecked by a persistent knee injury and half of his second year was spent toiling away in the VFL – a couple of suspensions did not help either.

In a game as unforgiving as football, Butler naturally began to question his standing in the AFL landscape. 

“It was pretty tough sitting on the sidelines, you see all the blokes you got drafted with starting to play their first games…being stuck in the VFL last year, form wasn’t really going my way and it wasn’t looking too great but luckily the club gave me a lifeline with another contract and I tried to work really hard in the off-season to pay them back,” Butler told The Courier.

Thankfully for Butler and Richmond, that lifeline of a one-year contract signed at the end of last year has proved to be a masterstroke. In 13 games this year, Butler has kicked 17 goals and has been an integral part of Richmond’s new-look small forward line which has undoubtedly helped turn around the Tigers form.

He recalls the period when his fortunes began to change.

“It was in the second half of the VFL last year. I hadn’t been in the greatest form but kind of turned it around in the second half of the year and was playing some pretty good footy. I was named emergency a few times in the AFL team and was itching to get my chance which never really came.

“When I came back for the start of this pre-season, I felt like I was in the best physical condition I’d ever been in and felt like I could really put a statement forward to the coaches that I could play at the highest level.”

There is a real purity in the way Butler plays. He is aggressive and his first instinct is to run with the ball – a quality that naturally draws fans to the game.

Growing up in the suburb of Cardigan, Butler completed his schooling at St Patrick’s College. He considers the school one of the greatest influences in shaping the player and person he is today.

“It was a massive influence. I guess you go to this big all-boys school and you see these people in year 12 getting drafted and their kind of paving the way for you so it’s a great school – it has a lot of great values and I guess it helped shape not only me but also my mates into the people they are today. Without that school I probably wouldn’t be in this position today.”

Despite his form, Butler is wary of the importance of continually improving.

“It’s just been good to get some reward after the work I put in during the off-season and the main thing for me is trying to stay consistent week-in-week-out. It’s good to be able to get on the end of a few goals, but my role is to put pressure on so that’s what I aim to do every week.”